Artificial flower or plant.



No. 644,724.. Patented Mar. 6, I900. A. A. RICHTER.

ARTIFICIAL FLOWER 0R PLANT.

(Application filed Aug. 9, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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AUREL ARTHUR RICHTER, OF DRESDEN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO ERNST RICHARD BGHME, OF SAME PLACE.

ARTIFICIAL FLOWER OR PLANT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 644,724, dated March 6, 1900.

Application filed August 9, 1899. Serial No. 726,697. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUREL ARTHUR R1011- TER, a subject of the King of Saxony, residing at Dresden, Saxony, Germany, have invented a certain new and useful Improved Manufacture of Artificial Plant or other Formations, (for which application for Letters Patent has been made in Great Britain, under N0. 14,7 7 3, dated July 17, 1899; in Germany, Serial No. B. 25,001 I/8a, dated June 23, 1899, and in Austria, dated July 17, 1899, these applications being filed in the name of Ernst Richard Bohme, of Dresden,) of which the following is a specification. 7

In the production of artificial flowers and imitations of the parts of plants-such as the woolly or moss-like stems, leaves, the calyx of moss-roses, and so on-the corresponding bodies were first coated with some adhesive material and then covered with wool-dust and sometimes also with cloth-dust or with silkdust. To use for that purpose prepared finelycut natural moss was hardly possible, owing to the high price of the material. The other materials used for that purpose, however, only imitated the desired appearance in a very clumsy and unnatural way. The mossy surface produced by such material has too much regularity and smoothness about it to represent to any degree the characteristic appearance of moss-like growth.

According to the present invention to produce stems, &c., so as to faithfully represent natural stems the fiber used for strewing over the body or foundation is first curled, the material used being hemp fiber or tow. According to my experiments the said material seems to be the only one up to the present that can be curled to the required shape and remain curled.

Figure 1 is a view illustrating the manner of curling the hemp fibers. Fig. 2 is a view, partly in section, on an enlarged scale, illustrating the stem of a flower with the curled and cut fibers applied thereto. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of a textile material or paper with the curled fibers applied thereto. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a flower stem or stalk havfiber covered with the wool-dust or the like.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.

The fiber is curled in hanks, as shown at a, Fig. 1. This is conveniently done by means of heated and ribbed cylinders O G-such as, for instance, those employed in plaiting-machines. The fibers thus curled are then cut into very small pieces, (marked at in the drawings,) the material thus obtained being used to strew over the threads, stems, c, &c., Figs. 2 and 4, after the latter have been covered with an adhesive material. In the same manner as threads and stems are treated other materials, such as textile fabric or paper, (shown at c, Fig. 3,) can also be treated, from which different parts of plants or flowers may be cut and which may also be used for bookbindings, as well as for other ornamental or useful articles.

Particularly pleasing and perfect effects can be obtained by a combination of the old with the new method, as shown in Fig. 4. Moss-like formations of the highest perfecc with a coarser kind of curled hemp fiber cut into small pieces (Z and afterward covering the hemp fibers with some thin adhesive material and then strewing them with wool, cloth, or silk dust, as shown at f in said Fig. 4. The coarser hemp fibers will act here as the stiffer threads and stems of the mosses, while the fine wool-dust will represent the delicate branches and runners. In such a manner calyxes of moss roses of special duced. Such a combined treatment may also be applied to stems and textile surfaces. As regards the principle of the invention, it does not matter of what substance the body or foundation is made which is strewed or covered in the manner above described.

I claim 1. The process of producing a woolly or moss -like appearance on artificial flowers, plants &c., consisting in coating the part to tion are obtained by first strewing the bodies beauty and great faithfulness can be proing the curled fiber applied thereto and the be ornamented with adhesive material and then strewing over such surface curled hemp fiber or tow; substantially as described. 2. The process of producing a woolly or 5 moss-like appearance upon artificial flowers, plants 850., consisting in coating the parts to be ornamented with adhesive material, applying to such surface curled hemp fiber,coating said fiber with adhesive material and finally strewing upon said coated fiber, wool, 16 cloth or silk dust; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing, Witnesses.

. AUREL ARTHUR RICHTER. \Vitnesses:

OTTO WoLFF, (3. F. HUGO SUMMER. 

